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Odd & Abandoned

I've always been in love with strange roadside attractions, architectural oddities, old abandoned amusements...whether they're fairy tale-esque or spooky and possibly haunted. Maybe it's got a little to do with being from New Jersey...home of Weird New Jersey. I know the series of books have become a nationwide franchise but they were born here in the original Weird state. The places you see here aren't in Jersey but they are some of my faves.Click the source link under the above photo to read about this life size dollhouse!

I just wanna eat this place! Look at that cake out front. Did they construct this out of frosting and gumdrops? Seriously, if this was anywhere near my neck of the woods I would be slipping letters in their mailbox that read: "Name your price!" "Can we pleeeease work out some sort of payment plan?!" "Can you at least rent me a room?!" "Or at the very least...a sleepover party?!"

When me and Aaron drove all the way out to Minnesota we saw more than a few places like this. Well actually we saw nothing on the drive there. We were in way too much of a hurry. It was on the way back home, when we were able to slow down and get off the interstate, we'd see some stuff that made us go "what the? why the? when the?..."

What could be the story behind this? Was it part of a traveling carnival and it broke down so they decided to leave it behind forever? You can look at it with your glass half empty eyes ( a post apocalypse ferris wheel ) ... or just marvel at the resiliency, adaptability, and strength of nature.

This completely redefines Treehouse! I love that somebody who possessed a brain so full of whimsy also had the ability to weild a hammer & nails and actually bulid this place!

Speaking of abandoned amusement parks...in the movie Hanna ( I love that movie. Oh sure, there's enough violence for ten or twenty movies...but man, I just love it.) anyway, there's a scene where she's hiding out in a magical fairy tale theme park in the woods. The crazy fighting juxtaposed with the Alice in Wonderland / dinosaurland setting is just so cool. I looked the place up...it's in East Berlin and it's known as Spree Park. There's a bit of a crazy story behind it.

I never get bored of this stuff. I have a bunch more favorites that I'll be sharing in the future. Definitely show & tell me about some of your weird finds.

I'm from MN and when I was younger (many decades ago) there was a little cottage in the woods near my grandmother's that was called Fairyland. You would walk along a path where there were all sorts of gnomes and woodland creatures. At the end there was a coin operated witch that would tell your fortune for a nickel. It was one of those places that was both magical and terrifying to a child. The cottage still stands, but Faairyland is gone.

Okay, this is something I am super into! One of my favorite sites is Roadside America because they list all the weirdest roadside attractions throughout the United States. I've visited a few things on the list like The Thing!! in the Arizona desert.

My dissertation is focused on vaudeville, burlesque, and circus and I think a lot of my fascination comes from that.

What wonderful photos. I really like the ferris wheel. I see history in that one. I imagine all the people that once rode on that, having so much fun, romance....The gingerbread house I would totally live in that. And the giant lady house is just...I would love to know the inspiration behind it. Thanks for the post!

I agree completely with you!! I am fascinated by the little Storybook Lands and family amusement parks! I wish there were more of those simple parks around today! A few years ago, we did a bit of trespassing and explored the abandoned Enchanted Forest! http://theenchantedforest.ellicottcity.net/gallery/

We live just a bit away from the Haines Shoe House and am always so intrigued, thinking the people who build these things must have been awesome!

Also, not to far from us is another abandoned amusement park which is now the grounds for a weekend flea market in the summer! Abandoned amusement + flea market= amazing!

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